12 ¹ He went on to speak to them in parables: 'A man planted a vineyard and put a wall round it, hewed out a winepress, and built a watch-tower; then he let it out to vine-growers and went abroad. 12 ² When the vintage season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce. 12 ³ But they took him, thrashed him, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 ⁴ Again, he sent them another servant, whom they beat about the head and treated outrageously. 12 ⁵ So he sent another, and that one they killed; and many more besides, of whom they beat some, and killed others. 12 ⁶ He had now only one left to send, his own dear son. Or: his only son. In the end he sent him. "They will respect my son", he said. 12 ⁷ But the tenants said to one another, "This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the property will be ours." 12 ⁸ So they seized him and killed him, and flung his body out of the vineyard. 12 ⁹ What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and put the tenants to death and give the vineyard to others.
12 ^{10 [ Ps.118.22-23. ]} 'Can it be that you have never read this text: "The stone which the builders rejected has become the main corner-stone. 12 ¹¹ This is the Lord's doing, and it is wonderful in our eyes"?'

12 ¹² Then they began to look for a way to arrest him, for they saw that the parable was aimed at them; but they were afraid of the people, so they left him alone and went away.